Determined Lalu slams exit polls

Throat sore, eyes tired and limbs aching after the two-month-long election campaign, RJD chief Lalu Prasad looked angry and determined on Tuesday.

Throat sore, eyes tired and limbs aching after the two-month-long election campaign, RJD chief Lalu Prasad looked angry and determined on Tuesday.

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Angry because of the exit polls aired by TV channels, giving his arch rival Nitish Kumar’s JD-S an edge over him. He charged the media of playing to the tunes of vested interests.

But he sounded determined to come back to power in Bihar. On Tuesday, a day before the results, Lalu was sure the people would vote him back. “I will form the government… It is just a matter of few hours.”

On the media’s role, he said, “I pity them. I am tired of listening to their analyses. Let them say whatever they feel like,” he said.

Sitting on his favourite cane chair at the outhouse of the sprawling residence of 10 Circular Road bungalow of his wife and leader of the opposition, Rabri Devi, Prasad was hardly in the mood for speaking.

For, he said, “The staggered polls have been quite back-breaking. It will take 20 days for me to regain my energy.” Prasad claimed to have addressed over 200 election meetings – even 13 to14 rallies a day.

But he was busy since morning on Tuesday, giving instructions to his party men and counting agents, as there were only a few RJD leaders in Patna.

Most of the party bosses are camping in their constituencies.

“Tomorrow is a big day. We will be in action from the morning,” Prasad said in a husky voice and ordered an aide to get Tulsi leaves for his sore throat.

His party colleague and Rajya Sabha member Ram Kripal Yadav received a call on the cell phone and politely refused an invitation to participate in a talk show on a regional channel.

Prasad said, “Tell them to call chief minister Nitish Kumar. We have nothing to say.” And then, the RJD chief turned towards this reporter: “Come tomorrow. We will talk.”